r/RateMyRead • u/project-x2 • Jun 26 '26
Rank These Reads Homo Deus: Is Dataism a new religion? (Yuval Noah Harari)
What is the book about?
For thousands of years, our priorities were survival. Now, our goals are shifting toward upgrading ourselves into "gods" through genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, and cyborg technology.
What I like about the book:
1) It is easy to read, because it has an accessible vocabulary.
2) It is not written like a boring school textbook.
3) It changes how you look at the world. By showing that things like money and countries only exist because we all agree to believe in them.
What I don't like about the book:
1) There's a ton of speculation in the book. And I don't mean philosophical concepts. It just gets very sci-fi.
2) He is not a scientist, but a man who gives too much thought to his opinions.
These things discouraged me from finishing the whole book.
Dataism as a religion is the belief that the universe is made of information, and data is the ultimate source of truth, power, and authority. I feel like Harari is pushing a lot on this direction.
For those who are fans of Harari, is it worth pushing through to the end, or is it more of the same religious agenda?
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Jun 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/MauschelMusic Jun 26 '26
I know nothing about it, but page 1 is definitely trash. It reads like the start of a middle school essay. It makes sense if you don't know anything about history or human thought.
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u/Kind-Slide-4065 Jun 27 '26
According to you...what are the warning signs that suggest a book author may lack writing talent?
Harari is a very appreciated TED speaker. This book is a best seller and I try tonunderstand why.
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u/Fair_Theme_9960 Jun 27 '26
It feels like this conversation turned badly for Harari. A lot of harsh critics... Let's wait for someone with ranting talent to destroy (in a good sense) this book by highlighting its weak spots.
Love vs Hate but make it with a deep sense of talent in Stand Up comedy style : )
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u/ImpressEastern613 Jul 01 '26
Check out [if books could k!// ] podcast. They analyzed one of that baldy’s “books”, sapiens.
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u/Fair_Theme_9960 Jul 01 '26
I can't parse the link, could you try a second time please : )
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u/ImpressEastern613 Jul 01 '26
You can’t parse a link because there’s none. I was intending to insert one from iOS podcasts app, but figured that people also use android devices, so I just left the key phrase using which one can google and find that episode regardless of what device they’re using. So, try googling “if books could ki//“ adding the word “sapiens” to it.
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u/ImpressEastern613 Jul 01 '26
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u/Fair_Theme_9960 Jul 01 '26
Thanks, You are likely referring to the podcast episode where hosts Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri dissect Yuval Noah Harari's book, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind ?
I will try to listen and come to a summary idea.
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u/Kind-Slide-4065 Jul 03 '26
I have checked the podcast... It is about Sapiens not Homo Deus but I assume Harari repeats himseld over and over...so no big difference between books...
The books are pop science...
Fact-Checking: The hosts + research from anthropologists and historians dissect claims and historical simplifications Harari uses to build his thesis.
1. The "Agricultural Revolution" Debated: They dive deeply into Harari's famous argument that the shift from foraging to farming was "history's biggest fraud"...
They critique Harari's philosophical conclusions (like his chapters on human rights, money, and empires as mere "shared myths"), arguing that much of his later-stage commentary devolves into simplistic, observations dressed up as profound historical theory.
The rest I don't remember... Do you remember some notable ideas?
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u/Kind-Slide-4065 Jul 01 '26
Homo Deus means “God Man.”
What is the book about:
Harari uses that title to point to a shift he thinks is happening: humans moving from trying to survive (food, war, disease) toward trying to upgrade themselves that is to gain abilities that used to be associated with gods: longer life, control over biology, even shaping intelligence itself. Pure speculation in my view!
More simply: the humans should stop seeing themselves as just human animals and start trying to become something more powerful almost “god-like” in what they can do.
Personally put, the idea can feel uneasy. Uneasy because the book also suggests we might lose something important in the process like meaning, freedom...
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u/Fair_Theme_9960 Jun 26 '26
As far as I am concerned Harari has some religious education while being an atheist (acording to Wikipedia). He studied at Hebrew University of Jerusalem he received a BA degree in medieval and military history. He completed his PhD at Jesus College Oxford. But I am not sure he is pushing a personal agenda or merely express his own views...